It is after much thought and reflection and against the well meant advice of several persons close to me that I thought I would set down my thoughts on a matter that has been very much in the headlines during the past few months.

​​The matter I am referring to is that of the MBBS progamme of the South Asia Institute of Technology and Medicine, better known as SAITM. ​​The various issues involved have been set out, discussed and debated in several media conferences, press releases, paper articles, by way of posters, demonstrations, marches, public meetings and even in our parliament. I need not repeat them here since the interested public is well aware of the arguments made for and against SAITM and sufficient information, including a judgment by the Court of Appeal is available in the public domain.

Next year, 2018, Sri Lanka will be marking the 70th anniversary of our independence. This will be a milestone in our journey as a re-born nation. In our build up to this event it is important that we look soberly and honestly at the ‘balance sheet’ of our successes and failures over the past seven decades.

There will be no contesting the fact that among all the former British colonies it was Sri Lanka that was thought to have the best chance of rapid economic and social development. The words of the late visionary Singaporean leader are very often quoted in this regard. Equally, there will be no dispute that the greatest drawback to our development as a united nation has been racial conflict, linguistic strife, and religious conflict” – the words once again of Lee Kwan Yew.

As the Flood Waters subside

With the water levels receding the numbers reflected under the ‘displaced column’ of our table is decreasing. Over 700,000 people were displaced but today’s figures are down to 603,724 and we believe the worst in terms of ‘Rescue and Relief’ are behind us now. People are trying to return home. Facing a mudslide or a flood which takes your home and in some cases the very lives of your loved ones away is clearly a trauma from which people will take a long time to recover.

The Disaster Management Centre information as of 9th June records the following statistics.